Following on from The Art File absorbing Pocket Typewriter into its portfolio last year, the Nottingham-based publisher has forged links with another specialist card publisher, but in a different way.
Announced this week is a collaboration between The Art File and I Like Birds. Under a new arrangement, The Art File is to publish I Like Birds’ contemporary bird artworks onto greeting cards, under licence.
Up until now, while the Scottish-based company I Like Birds has licensed its designs onto other products it published greeting cards under itself. However, as a result of the recent licensing agreement with The Art File (which came about as a result of conversations at Harrogate Home & Gift show in July), the company, headed up by Stuart Cox, is to cease publishing greeting cards.
The collection from The Art File will be available to customers from December 2017, although the official launch will be at Top Drawer London in January.
’We’re hugely excited to be adding the ‘I like birds’ collection to our portfolio. Stuart is a great talent and I was thrilled that he approached us with the idea. His contemporary look sits very well with The Art File brand,’’ commented Ged Mace, md of The Art File.
While Stuart admits he had some early reservations about handing over the card business to anyone else, having met Ged, co-director Karen Mace and marketing manager James Mace at the Harrogate Home & Gift show, he said “it took all of 20 seconds to feel a huge sense of relief that this was exactly the right thing to do and these were the only people we’d have absolute trust in to take this forward. The designs really couldn’t be going to a better home.”
Stuart was full of praise for The Art File’s way of working. “We’ve always tried to be people-first in business and The Art File have been a yardstick of how a modern design-led business should operate: alongside their undoubted business acumen and attention to detail they’ve a personable, encouraging, open and friendly approach, and we’re hugely appreciative to Ged and the team for having such faith in us and in being so welcoming.”
I Like Birds is represented on the licensing front by JELC.
